Boeing may have some competition when it comes to the replacement for Air Force One

Things are finally starting to look up for Airbus' troubled
A380 superjumbo program. The first production A380 was delivered
to Singapore Airlines on Monday in Toulouse, France. The plane was then
flown from France to Changi Airport in Singapore where it will await final preparations
for its first scheduled flight on October 25.

The A380, however, is making an even bigger splash in the
news world for a completely different reason. Flight
Global reports that the U.S. Air Force (USAF) is looking at the A380 as
a replacement for two aircraft programs: a replacement for the Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy
and as a replacement for the Boeing 747-200B (VC-25A) used as Air Force
One.

The C-5 Galaxy made its maiden flight on June 30, 1968 and
first entered service in June of 1970. The USAF Air Mobility Command (AMC)
requested information on the A380F freighter last year as a possible
replacement for use as a heavy military airlifter.

Plans to upgrade the existing C-5 Galaxy fleet are estimated
to run 50 to 100 percent over budget according to the USAF and Airbus' new
A380F would make an ideal, modern and cost-efficient platform.

In addition, the USAF is looking at the A380 as a
replacement for the current Air Force One which was introduced in 1990. Boeing
isn't giving up the fight, however. The company is well aware of the
competitive efforts involved in finding a replacement for the VC-25A and is
offering up a 747-8
which uses new wings and engines for increased fuel efficiency.

Boeing has provided jet-powered transportation for the
President dating back to the Boeing 707 first used by John F. Kennedy.

Airbus' A380 superjumbo has been the subject of more than a
few articles on DailyTech. The A380
was delayed in September of last year due to wiring problems
-- a month later; Airbus announced that deliveries of the aircraft would be delayed by an entire
year.

Well.Global Warming etc... What do you expect the heads of state, government, and big time execs to do. IM to people to discuss stuff. Or Fly there? Send a Email, or some face to face time with people. This may be 2007, but last time i checked, you still need to be face to face to get things accomplished.Get laidMeet wife/husband- (unless you are a loser marrying before meeting)WORK!!!!- (how many posters have foreign cars, yet complaining that the economy is crap)

There is corruption all around us, YET we are corrupt in our own ways.

Interesting...what buying a foreign car has to do with corruption? Last I knew, it still was a right to choose the better value for the money you pay on an item. And if US car manufacturing industry has a problem to sell their cars, is because they can't make a car that is more appealing than a foreign car, not because people prefer foreign cars...

Actually high altitude contrails left in the wakes of commercial jets have been linked to localized reductions in surface temperatures due to their high albedo.

At any rate, I think a more prudent question to ask (and it is certainly in keeping with your arguement) is, "Does the Air Force really need to replace Air Force 1 right now or in the near future?" Probably not in my estimation.

The current version came into service barely 15 years ago. Prior to that, the 707 was in service in that capacity for 30 years. Based on that metric alone, the current 747 fleet has another 15 years left in it before the Air Force (and vicariously american taxpayers) should even think about replacing it. Doing so prematurely is nothing more than government pork and a waste time, resources, and most importantly money.